Best Make alternatives, checked in 2026
Make is the visual automation platform — a powerful, affordable Zapier rival where workflows are scenarios you can see. Its free plan gives 1,000 credits (operations) a month, the most generous free automation tier in this directory. People leave when they need an app Make doesn't have, browser-level scraping, or automations that live inside a workspace. The five below cover those cases.
- Zapier: The breadth rival: 8,000+ apps and the simplest builder, 100 free tasks a month.
- Bardeen: The browser route: scrape and enrich where the data lives, 100 free credits.
- Taskade: The workspace route: automation inside your tasks and notes, 10 free runs a month.
Comparison table
| Tool | Free plan | Card needed | Pricing model | Checked | Reader rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 100 tasks/month on the free plan; two-step Zaps only, unlimited Zaps | Not needed | Freemium | 2026-11-07 | – |
| Bardeen | Free: 100 credits, always free (unused credits expire at end of the billing period) | Not needed | Freemium | 2026-10-31 | – |
| Taskade | Free: 3 Genesis apps, no monthly AI credits (earned via invites/shares), 1 workspace, 250 MB storage, 10 automation runs/mo | Not needed | Freemium | 2026-10-31 | – |
| ChatGPT | Free tier available with usage limits; paid plan offers higher limits | Not needed | Freemium | 2026-10-31 | – |
| Apollo.io | Free plan: 50 email credits per month; Gmail-only mailbox connection; CSV export 25 records at a time; 3 intent topics | Not needed | Freemium | November 2026 | – |
1. Zapier
The breadth rival: 8,000+ apps and the simplest builder, 100 free tasks a month.
Changed since last check: starting price moved from Paid to $0 (Oct 30, 2026).
- Free plan includes 100 tasks a month
- No credit card required
- Free plan caps Zaps at two steps - multi-step needs a paid plan
- Per-task pricing adds up fast at volume, and overages bill automatically
Choose Zapier over Make if a needed app exists only there, or your team values dead-simple over deeply visual. Stay with Make for branching logic, data transformation and free-tier generosity.
See the full Make vs Zapier duel →In-depth notes on Zapier
Zapier's free plan is 100 tasks a month, single-step only. Make's 1,000 free operations with full scenarios is why cost-driven builders switch — and why Zapier loyalists cite its app catalogue.
2. Bardeen
The browser route: scrape and enrich where the data lives, 100 free credits.
Changed since last check: starting price moved from Paid to $0 (Oct 30, 2026).
- Free tier gives 100 credits that are always free
- Entry paid plan (Basic) costs $10/mo
- Unused free credits expire at the end of the billing period
- No public API
Choose Bardeen over Make when the source is a web page, not an API: profiles, listings, search results scraped from your browser. Stay with Make for reliable app-to-app plumbing.
See the full Make vs Bardeen duel →In-depth notes on Bardeen
Bardeen's free 100 credits expire at period end. It complements Make in many stacks — Bardeen gathers, Make distributes.
3. Taskade
The workspace route: automation inside your tasks and notes, 10 free runs a month.
Changed since last check: starting price moved from Paid to $0 (Oct 30, 2026).
- Free plan lets you deploy 3 Genesis apps
- Free plan includes 1 workspace with 250 MB of storage
- Free plan includes automations up to 10 runs a month
- No monthly AI credits on free — credits are earned through invites and shares
- API is available on paid plans only
- Free plan includes only 1 AI agent
Choose Taskade over Make if automation is a feature of your workspace, not a platform: triggers around tasks and notes. Stay with Make for serious cross-app machinery.
See the full Make vs Taskade duel →In-depth notes on Taskade
Taskade's free plan includes 10 automation runs a month. Tiny — but inside the tool where the work already lives, which is its whole argument.
4. ChatGPT
The DIY route: wire APIs with code and skip per-operation pricing entirely.
The catch: The free tier has usage limits, and answers can sometimes be inaccurate, so check important information and expect advanced features to require a paid plan.
Changed since last check: starting price moved from Paid to Free tier (Oct 25, 2026).
- Free tier available
- Output rights are assigned to you on every plan, Free included
- API available
- Free tier has usage limits
- API use is billed separately
Choose the DIY route over Make if you'd rather own code than rent operations: a script on a schedule has no per-op meter. Stay with Make for visual maintenance by non-developers.
See the full Make vs ChatGPT duel →In-depth notes on ChatGPT
ChatGPT's free plan has usage limits; it can author your scripts but won't run or babysit them. Make's price is precisely the babysitting.
5. Apollo.io
The data route: when the workflow's fuel is B2B contacts, a database beats a scraper.
The catch: Credits expire with no rollover, and the free plan is Gmail-only.
Changed since last check: starting price moved from Paid to $0 per user per month (Nov 2, 2026).
- Permanent free plan with no credit card required — rare for B2B data
- Public per-seat pricing, while competitors are often sales-gated
- Database, sequences, dialer and intent signals in one subscription
- Credits expire with no rollover
- A jump from free to $49 per user per month for Basic
- Organization needs a minimum of 3 users, about $357 per month, and dialer and API access are gated to higher tiers
Choose Apollo over Make when the missing piece is data — 240M contacts — not wiring. Stay with Make when data exists and movement is the problem.
See the full Make vs Apollo.io duel →In-depth notes on Apollo.io
Apollo's free plan gives 50 email credits a month (expiring, 25-at-a-time exports). Make often ends up as Apollo's delivery pipe to the CRM.
When to stay with Make
Switching is not always the right call. Make is still the better pick if:
- Visual scenarios are how your team thinks about automation.
- 1,000 free operations a month carries your current machine.
- Your scenarios are deep, branched and business-critical.
How to switch from Make
- Export your blueprintsMake scenarios export as JSON — download them; they're the closest thing automations have to portable source code.
- Rebuild in dependency orderData sources first, then transforms, then destinations — and test with real records at each stage.
- Keep parallel runs briefRun old and new side by side on copies before cutting over; duplicate automations double-send.
How we check
Free-plan limits, card requirements and the catch come from the Free Reality Check on each tool. An editor checks the maker's pricing page by hand and records when. If a tool has no check date, we say so and show no numbers.
- Official pricing pages, with the date we checked each one
- Vendor documentation and changelogs
- SaaSListy editor testing notes on each tool page
- Reader reviews on SaaSListy
Some links are affiliate links. They never change a rating, a ranking or a verdict.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Make?
Zapier's free plan (100 tasks, single-step) for breadth; Bardeen for browser work. Nothing free matches Make's own 1,000 operations a month with full logic.
Why do people leave Make?
A missing app integration (Zapier's catalogue), or the need moves — into the browser (Bardeen) or into a workspace (Taskade).
Make vs Zapier — which is better?
Make for visual depth, branching and running cost; Zapier for catalogue breadth and simplicity. Start where your critical app is supported best.
Is Make free?
Yes, genuinely: 1,000 operations a month on the free plan, full scenario builder included.
What is the best Make alternative?
Zapier is listed first on this page. The breadth rival: 8,000+ apps and the simplest builder, 100 free tasks a month.
Which Make alternatives are free without a credit card?
Our editors verified that Zapier, Bardeen, Taskade, ChatGPT, Apollo.io do not ask for a card on the free plan. The free plan box under each tool lists the limits.
How do you check free plans and prices?
Editors check the maker's official pricing page by hand and record the check date. Tools that are not verified yet are labelled that way instead of showing guesses.
How does SaaSListy make money?
Some links are affiliate links. They never change a rating, a ranking or a verdict.